Angel's Share Title
In January of 2026 I had the honor of leading a charity rum symposium in Atlanta that featured five 12-year-old rums from around the globe. While preparing for the symposium, I realized that the only rum in the lineup I had not reviewed was this one and decided to address it immediately. Produced at the Nassau Valley Distillery on the island of Jamaica, the company uses a blend of pot and column still rums that have been aged in used bourbon barrels for 12 years. Using limestone filtration, they blend the rum to 43% ABV and bottle it for distribution. The company does not use any added flavorings, colors, or sweeteners in the creation of their products.
Appearance
The custom flask-shaped bottle has a short-necked handle that is easy to pour. The front and back labels provide basic information about the rum in black and gold script, with the year 1749 embossed on the upper center of the bottle. The wood and brass cap is secured to the bottle with a clear wrap and holds a synthetic cork.
Swirling the mahogany liquid creates a thin band around the glass that thickens slightly and then releases a wave of thin legs down the sides of the glass. The band continues to thicken and releases a second wave of thicker, slower legs before leaving a ring of beads around the glass.
Nose
The aroma contains a swirl of wood spice, tobacco, caramel, lightly bitter orange zest, ripe bananas, dried apricots, and anise.
Palate
The first sip is a swirl of caramelized vanilla, orange zest, and warm oak spices of cinnamon, allspice, and clove. Additional sips reveal notes of hazelnut, dark chocolate, brown sugar, oak char, and cooked bananas. As the flavor profile begins to fade, the dried apricot and anise notes from the aroma manifest as the oak tannins take over and form a pleasantly long finish.
Review
The Appleton rum line was my introduction to Jamaican rums, and I have used the signature and eight-year-old rum blends in cocktails for years. This rum provides the quality I expected from the master blender, Joy Spence, and her team and is an enjoyable sipper as well as a quality cocktail ingredient. When experiencing the rum in a tasting, it is easy to see the aging progression between the eight-year-old and twelve-year-old blends and note how the eight is a bit more versatile in cocktails, while the twelve pairs well with grilled meat and, I am told, cigars. At the symposium, this was the audience’s favorite due to the depth of the flavor profile and potential uses in comparison to the other rums in the tasting experience.
